Stamping machine



March 19, 1929. RYPER 1,705,541

- STAMPING MA CHTNE Filed May 2, 1927 5 sheets-sheet II STAMPING MACHINE Filed May 2,1927 3 Sheets-Sheet 5 HTTORNEY Patented Mar. is, was.

enonen rnnny arriiaor Lennon, 'n nenann.

STAMPING MACHIHE.

Application filed May 2, 1927, Serial NoQlSSfiSl, and in Great Britain May 6, 1926.

This'invention relates to automaticstamping machines adapted to moisten, detach and affix a postage or like stamp from a strip.

Automatic stamping machines have already been proposed in which the moisture is applied to. the envelope, card or other device to which the stamp is affixed, and machines have alsobeen proposed in which the stamps are moistened by being drawn over a roller before separation from the strip.

The latter type of apparatus suffers from the disadvantage that the stamp tends to move faster than the. roller producing a wiping or rubbing movement of the gumme'd surface which tends to remove the adhesive and also to moisten part or the Whole of the next stamp which may not-bere'qu'ired for immediate use.

The present invention has for its object to provide a machine of the above type in which moisture is applied only to the stamp next about, to 'be'afiixed by means of a pad applied to the gummed surface with an 'approaching as opposed to a wiping movement. The approaching movement is preferably approximately at right angles to the surface of the stamp but it may be obliquef thereto or along a curved line, the essential feature being that the' pad contacts with the stamp with a dab or light blow in which there is no substantial rubbing or vriping oi one surface across the other in the common plane of the surfaces-" I -The invention also comprises an improved moistening deviceand ZLII'lIIlPIOVQCl general construction of machine as will behereinaftermore fully described and set out in the appended claims. q

1 The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawing in which Fig. 1 shows'an end view.

. a Fig, 2 shows a plan with the cover re moved; i

Fig.3 is an elevation of the internal mech anism illustrated in Fig. 2, the-front wall being removed. b Fig. 4 is a sectional elevation on the line 1V*-IV of Fig. 2, and l Fig. 5 isa view oi a detail in perspective. 'Turning now to the drawing, the improved-machine according to the invention comprises a casing 1 surmountedby a cover Qandhousing at. its upper pa-rt'a shaft 3 [Fig 3, is rigidly fixed.

at its lower end surm carrying cams 4, 5 6 Fig. 2, by which. the 'VEtIlOLlS mechanisms are actuated. The shaft 3 is adapted to be rotated by a toothed wheel ti -actuated by a sector?' carried by a hinged arm 8 ,-having' a handle 9. The toothed wheelidrives the shaft in one direction only by. any suitable form 'ofiree-wheel clutch. The came is shown in dotted lines in Fig. l and is adapted to actuate through a lever 10 a' shaft 11 towhioh a cranked lever 12,.--

on to the cam by a spring-10 1 The lever 10 is held Cam (5, Fig. 3, actuates a rectilinear" lever 13, 3, loosely mounted on shaft 11 and carryingat its zl'ree end a pivotedarm 1d, the lover end oi which carries a plate 15 supporting adamping rod 16. The lever isheld on to the cam by a spring 18 and the arm 1 lis connected tothe. cranked lever 12 by a pivoted linkq17; An extension 18 0]. lever 13 extends forwardly ofthe casing for a purpose that will later appear."

The lower end. of thecranked lever12 is connected by means of; a pivoted link "18 to an arm 19 connected toone element of a tree-wheel clutch whichm'aybe of any suite ableiornnbut is shown in Fig. if-as comprisy x ing rollers" mounted" in peripheral grooves of one element of the clutch, the other 'eleif inent of which comprises the feed roller ,20

for the strip of stamps 21 normally housed in container 22"which is removable when re- .quired from-the apparatus.

Turning now to FigsQ and 4r, cam .5 operates the' double rectilinear levers and bell crank lever 31 all loosely mounted on-shatt i 11. The levers 30- engage anaffiXing plunger 32 slidable in a housing in the front part-of thecasingthe lower fiat rm ofthe plunger being perforated as shown at 33 and nor,- mally positioned just above the slot 34 through whichthe strip 21 emerges iromthe casing. The afiixing plunger "32 is hollowi and houses asnction-producing plunger 35 comprising a metallic piston-like l. member unted by a cup leather 36.f. '1

Forwardly of the plunger housing is mounted adetachable water receptacle .37

positioned in the housing '38 of which thelower end is closed by an] absorbent pad 39. The water receptacle is provided with a chamber 39 in which *water can penetrate,

through a plugf iO having a groove -regisa i is closed by a ball valve 44. The pump pisndle 61.

ion working in chamber 43 is operated at each st 'oke or lever 13 byextension 13 to depress the pump piston 45 causing any water rece' ed into the chamber 43 to drop t. g returned by its spring 45 and in its p ard stroke withdrawing the valve 42 am the plug opening so that a small quani of water again passes from chamber into the chamber 39 In this manner pad 39 maintained continually supl with water and-byslightly screwing or. out the plug 40, theamount of water supplied at each stroke of lever 13 can be accurately controlled. I 7

The roll o'l stamps is normally housed in a removable chamber 51 shown separately in Fig. 5 and comprising two, hinged parts provided with extensions or lips 52, 53 lying one above the other to form guides for the J. The lips are cut away at the point so that the feeding roller 20, Fig. 3, can

. tln-ough the slot the paper. 7 conjunction with this roller I provide a second roller carried at the end of a hingedarm .56 adapted to be rocked on a The arm is controlled by a ng 5! 'andengaged by'ineans of a cam 58 operable by a knob, .p'ositioned outside the casinuto raise and lower the-roller 55 from gagement with the upper surface of the r). The feed roller 20 is alsoca able of being operated irom a knob posit oned out side the casing to feed forward the strip alter the container has been inserted in position.

it will be observed that all the levers hitherto described are in their operative movements actuated by springs against the screwed 'low' parts of the cam. With thepresent arrangements, however, a convenient method or controlling the amount of feed of. the

p at each operation of the device, comprises. adaptedjto be operated by means ofa collarto limit the movement of under the action of spring 10 to lever 19 each operation of the device; The letter, card, or otherobJect required toreceive the stamp is held on a table supported by hinged panllel links 71, 72

andmaintained in its uppermost position of "a. spring. m height oft-lie lowering The exact setting 1e rod; 74 in slots The '=. -14 onto the pad 39, the piston so formed to engage,

cam 60 rotatable on shaft 61 and table can be adjusted 1 The operation of the .device as hitherto 7 described is as follows On drawing down the handle 9, the shaft 3 is given one complete revolution. 'During this movement, cam 6 first acts to rock lever 13 lowering pad 16. from contact with pad 39. At the same timecanl 4 allows lever 10 to rock in a counterclockwise sense in Fig. 1, so that a; n 14 is brought to the position shown in dotted lines in F 3, this movement being effected by the rocking of lever 12 with arm 10 and through connecting link 17. In this position, the roller at the end of lever 13 falls. into, the lower part 6 of am 6 so. that the damping 32d 16 is raised to moisten the lowerisurf ce of the end stamp 01 strip 21 beneath the lower face of plunger it w1ll be appreciated that this movement in'the form. shown is purely an approaching movement so that the pad applies a dab or llght blow to the surface of the stamp'which does not tend to wipe away any of the ad iesive and also ensuresthat moistureisonly applied to the stamp next requiring to be afiixed. V r

During the application of the pad to the stamp, cam, 5 commences to lift suction piston 36 which applies suction through "the holes 33 to the upper face of the stamp and preven ts its dislodgment when pad 16 moves away. The stroke of piston 36 continues whilst pad 16 is stationary. Pad 16 then the high part of the cam 6" and immediately afterwards the high part of cam 4 -n1oves lever=l0 in a clockwise sense inv Fig.

stamp, thb cam 5 begins to rock lever 30'.

causing ailijiing plunger 32 to descend shearing oil-the stamp from the edge of the'strip against a shearing plate mounted on the trout or the and afiixing the'stamp to the letter, card, or other object placed on table 70. V v e It will be appreciated that the descent of the affixing plunger 32 continues the production of suction through'the holes 33 during the shearing process, so'that the stamp moves down as the end loif'arn'i Breaches emainsflat beneath the face of the afiixing plunger to ensureits properpositioning .on the letter. The construction of the suction plunger is of some importance as it is desirable for best results that the plunger. should'abut close against the inner face of. the'bottom wall 3301- allixing plunger- 32 so that no air remains within the latter before the suction plunger begins to move. At the same time a tight joint between the two plungers is 1 'electively provided by cup leather 36.

It will, be appreciated that byt-hisjmas damping pad is not applied With a wiping movement, but is applied with a direct pressure moving on to or off the gummed surface of the stamp with a movement more or less at right angles thereto, the face of the pad remaining parallel to the surface of the stamp during this movement.

I claim:

1. In a stamping machine adapted to moisten, detach and affiX'a stamp having an adhesive surface from a strip of such stamps, moistening means comprising a flat pad, a lever carrying said pa d, a pad-moistening device, lever-operating mechanism adapted to operate said lever to carry said pad down wardly from said pad-moistening device, laterally to face the said adhesive surface of said stamp and upwardly against the said surface.

2. In a stamping machine adapted to moisten, detach and aflix a stamp having an adhesive surface from a strip of such stamps, moistening means comprising a fiat pad, a lever carrying said pad, a pad-moistening device, an operating shaft, cams mounted in said shaft, said cams being arranged during each operation of said shaft to operate said lever to carry said pad downwardly from said pad-moistening device, laterally to face the said adhesive surface of said stamp and upwardly against the said surface, and then to return said pad to initial position.

v3. In a stamp applying machine, an affixing plunger for applying the stamp, means for feeding the stamp in line with the plunger, means for holding the stamp in contact with the plunger, and means operative from below the stamp for applying moisture to ment.v

, wiping movement.

the stamp, while the stamp is held in 0011-.

tact with the plunger, said moisture applying means moving directly toward and from the stamp-to avoid a relative wiping movefln a-stamp applying machine, a stamp ailixing plunger movable vertically to apply the stamp, means for feeding va strip of stamps to position a stamp in a line with the plunger, suction means operating within the plunger to hold the stamp in contact with the operative end of the plunger, and a moistening element movable to a position below the stamp and thereafter actuated to move di rectly toward andinto contact with the stamp to moisten the same without a relative 5. In a stamp affixing machine, a plunger, means for operating the plunger vertically for stamp afiixing purposes, a suction means operative within the plunger to hold the stamp to the plunger, a stamp moistening element, means located beyond the plunger for moistening said element, and means for swinging the element from the moistening means to a position-in line-withand below the stamp, said means operating thereafter to move the element directly toward and in V I contact with the stamp to moisten thesame.

6. In a stamp affixing machine, a stamp applying plunger movable from a stamp receiving position to a stamp applying po- 'sition, suction means to hold a stamp to the plunger during operation of the plunger,

means, for feeding a stamp into line with the plunger, stamp moistening means opera- In testimo y whereof, I affix signature.

oi'ionen HENRY RYPER. 

